A
Spanish Vignette:
Just after I'd started reading El
País
down in Veggie Square today, the next table was (over)occupied by a
group of 11 noisy revellers, in the ratio of 9 men to 2 women. As
they were in fancy dress, I suspected they'd been up all night. So I
asked the nearest young man if this was true. Yes, he said, and
asked me for a cigarette. Then one of the young ladies turned to me
and asked if they were disturbing me. Absolutely not, I said. A nice
illustration of my theory that to get Spaniards to consider your
existence, you have to force yourself onto their radar. As I say,
they were noisy and merry but – unlike an equivalent bunch of Brits
– unaggressive. At least not until a couple of guys started
pushing each other around and knocked over a stack of folded chairs.
Whereupon several of the group calmly settled them down and I
continued with my glass of albariño
and plate of chipirones.
Occasionally giving one – on request – to the guy who'd sought a cigarette. When you've exchanged amicable words with someone in
Spain,
you're a close friend.
Corruption
Watch
- President Rajoy has published his tax returns over several years. These prove nothing other than he was well paid and that his income has risen 27% during La Crisis. Which will not go down well.
- Spain's judges and prosecutors have criticised the lack of resources and specialist expertise with which to tackle prosecution.
- El País complains that only the UK, Germany and the USA display examples of politicians who resign for malfeasance.
- The paper's business section reports that corruption is the biggest problem facing the country and that it has dynamited Spain's 'good auguries', increased the debt problem and brought nearer the prospect of a bail-out.
- The leader of the opposition has called for an 'anti-corruption unit' to be set up with 'surprise' visits by plain-clothed officers to high-level politicians' headquarters. My guess is he hopes this will never happen.
There
probably are a few horse-meat butchers in the UK but, generally
speaking, this is one animal the British don't like to eat. Things
are different on the Continent, at least in Rumania, France and
Spain, where dining on someone's ex-nag, is considered perfectly
normal. In fact, here in Galicia we have butchers who specialise in
carne
de potro.
Literally 'foal/colt meat'. The current storm in the UK and France
over horse meat being where it shouldn't appears to have flared up
because the EU-dictated lax cross-border controls gives organised
crime the opportunity to substitute horse meat for beef as the meat
moves from country to country. Essentially because the original
certification, which is all that's required, can get detached from
the original meat as it moves around and then attached to something
which is from a very different animal. For example some diseased
horse from Rumania. Presumably there's nothing to stop this being
done with dog meat, for example, unless it tastes markedly different
from beef when used in some microwave processed meat dish. Rumania is
reported to produce astonishing quantities of horse meat, at prices
well below that of beef. Making substitution highly profitable. To
stop the scam, Brussels will have to give back some powers to the
countries into which meat is imported. Which may take some time.
Unless it's shown that Rumanian horse meat is riddled with something
called bute, which is not good for us humans.
Finally
. . . Each time I walk into town, I come across another closed shop.
This time the place I bought my dining room furniture from ten years
ago. And the new “Cheap Shoes” shop in the centre of town. If
closures continue at the current rate, there'll be precious few shops
left in 3 years' time. Perhaps just one huge Chinese emporium. Open all hours, seven days a week.
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